Frontstage/Backstage at OVADA, Oxford

“Frontstage/Backstage” was an ethnographic work done at the OVADA gallery in Oxford and the title refers to sociologist Erving Goffman’s concept of “impression management”. Participants were asked what their specialism or profession was and what they did in their spare time or as a hobby. The participant would choose a t-shirt and the answers would be written on the front and back accordingly. They would then be photographed wearing the shirt. They then owned the shirt. One side might be “Academics do it better” while the other would say, “I’d rather be photographing nature”. Once all 100 shirts were gone then the photographs were separated into groups.

Gallery assistant putting up a photoAsking the questions for making the t-shirtThe ethnographic photo muraldetaildetailLinguists …do it betterI’d rather be…an absolute polymathThe shirts